The present invention is related to a handle assembly, and more particularly, to a handle assembly having a lock mechanism.
Nowadays, the retractable electrical equipment is a very common appliance and usually placed in a particular system frame. In order to pull out the electrical equipment easily, a handle assembly is usually designed on the panel for pulling the electrical equipment out of the system frame. However, there are some drawbacks in the conventional handle assembly coupled to an electrical equipment. Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a diagram illustrating the traditional handle assembly coupled to an appliance according to the prior art. The appliance 13 is usually a power module. The handle grip member 11 is directly fixed to the panel 12 of the appliance 13 by the screws 14. The handle grip member 11 is neither movable nor retractable, which occupies too much space of the panel 12. In addition, in order to prevent the appliance 13 from falling down from the system frame (caused by earthquake or accidentally touching by the staff), the appliance 13 has to be fixed to the system frame through more screws. In other words, the screws fixing the appliance 13 to the system frame have to be removed before pulling the appliance 13 out of the system frame, which is very inconvenient and time-wasting.
On the other hand, since the handle grip member 11 is directly fixed to the panel 12 of the appliance 13, the panel 12 will have to receive and sustain the pulling force from a user. However, the panel 12 is usually made of plastic, which is not very solid after a long-term usage. Besides, it requires the strenuous effort to pull the appliance 13 out of the system frame since the pulling force is spread to the panel 12 through the handle grip member 11. Therefore, the structure of the handle assembly is not very solid or convenient for the user.
From the above description, it is known that how to design a solid and convenient handle assembly for providing a time-saving equipment and preventing the appliance from falling down accidentally has become a major problem waited to be solved. In order to overcome the drawbacks in the prior art, a handle assembly having a lock mechanism is provided. The particular design in the present invention not only solves the problem that the handle grip member occupies too much space of the panel, but also secures structure of the handle assembly so that the appliance can be easily pulled out of the system frame. Thus, the invention has the utility for the industry.
The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly having a lock mechanism, which allows the appliance to be easily pulled out of the system frame.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a handle assembly having a lock mechanism, which provides a bigger panel space for the user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a handle assembly having a lock mechanism, which is able to lock the appliance on the system frame through the lock mechanism thereof so that the appliance won""t be movable until the lock mechanism is unlocked.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a handle assembly for an appliance, includes: a handle grip member movably coupled with a casing of the appliance for receiving a first external force and a second external force, and a lock mechanism coupled with the handle grip member and mounted inside the casing, wherein the lock mechanism locks the handle grip member to the casing when the handle grip member receives the first external force, and unlocks the handle grip member when the handle grip member receives the second external force. The lock mechanism comprises: a holding member having a slot thereon and fixedly mounted on a side wall of the casing; a sliding member having a salient portion thereof and having one end connected with the handle grip member for sliding back and forth, wherein the slot and the salient portion are engaged with each other wren the handle grip member receives the first external force, and the slot and the salient portion are separated from each other when the handle grip member receives the second external force; a first spring connecting the sliding member and the casing for generating a first elastic force in response to the first external force and the second external force; and an engaging member having a cylinder mounted thereon and movably positioned on the side wall of the casing for engaging with the sliding member through the cylinder.
In accordance with the present invention, the sliding member has a hollow portion thereon for engaging with the cylinder mounted on the engaging member.
Preferably, the cylinder positioned on the engaging member is confined within the hollow portion of the sliding member.
Preferably, the hollow portion has a slope at the bottom thereof for the cylinder rolling along upwards when the first elastic force is generated in response to the first external force and the second external force.
Preferably, the cylinder is at a first position at one end of the slope after the handle grip member receives the first external force and is locked to the casing.
Preferably, the cylinder is at a second position at another end of the slope after the handle grip member receives the second external force and is unlocked from the casing.
Preferably, the handle assembly further comprises a second spring fixedly mounted on a side wall of the casing and connecting with the engaging member for providing a second elastic force to help the engaging member moving upwards and downwards when the second elastic force is generated in response to the first external force.
Preferably, the appliance is mounted on a supporting frame having a first aperture thereon.
Preferably, the engaging member further has a protruding portion, which can be protruded into a second aperture at the bottom of the casing and the first aperture on the supporting frame, for completely locking the handle grip member to the casing and fixing the appliance on a supporting frame when the handle grip member receives the first external force.
Preferably, the first aperture on the supporting frame has a consistent position corresponded with the second aperture on the casing so that the engaging member is able to directly protruded into the second aperture and the first aperture.
Preferably, the protruding portion will be drawn away from the first aperture when the handle grip member receives the second external force so that the handle grip member will be completely unlocked from the casing and the appliance will not be fixed on the supporting frame.
Preferably, the housing has a insertion hole for inserting and fixedly mounting the conductive terminal thereon.
Preferably, the protruding portion is protruded into the second aperture at all times so that the engaging member restrictedly moves upwards and downwards only.
Preferably, the handle grip member further comprises a blocking element at one end of the handle grip member for blocking the handle grip member from being pulled out of the appliance and sustaining a force pulling out the appliance.
Preferably, the first external force is a force pushing the handle grip member inwards to the appliance.
Preferably, the second external force is a force pushing the handle grip member downward to the appliance.
Preferably, the appliance is a retractable power module.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an appliance assembly includes: a casing of an appliance having a first aperture thereon, a supporting frame having a second aperture thereon for supporting the appliance, a handle grip member movably coupled with a casing of the appliance for receiving a first external force and a second external force, and a lock mechanism coupled with the handle grip member and mounted inside the casing, wherein the lock mechanism locks the handle grip member to the casing when the handle grip member receives the first external force, and unlocks the handle grip member when the handle grip member receives the second external force. The lock mechanism comprises: a holding member having a slot thereon and fixedly mounted on a side wall of the casing; a sliding member having a salient portion thereof and having one end connected with the handle grip member for sliding back and forth, wherein the slot and the salient portion are engaged with each other when the handle grip member receives the first external force, and the slot and the salient portion are separated from each other when the handle grip member receives the second external force; a first spring connecting the sliding member and the casing for generating a first elastic force in response to the first external force and the external second force; and an engaging member having a cylinder mounted thereon and movably positioned on the side wall of the casing for engaging with the sliding member through the cylinder.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following descriptions with reference to the drawings, wherein: